Trios Health has received initial accreditation status as a sponsoring institution of graduate medical education by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). ACGME is one of two accrediting bodies for medical residency programs in the United States; the other is the American Osteopathic Association (AOA). Trios Health’s residency programs are currently accredited under the AOA.

The AOA and ACGME are in the process of unifying under ACGME, requiring all AOA accredited programs nationwide to now seek ACGME accreditation. All residency programs require an institutional sponsor in order to become accredited. Trios Health applied to be its own institutional sponsor, which is allowed under ACGME. Its initial accreditation status confirms that Trios Health’s application substantially complies with the requirements, and is considered an important step forward as Trios continues the application process for ACGME accreditation for its family medicine and internal medicine residency programs.

“This is an important milestone in our process to accredit both of our residency programs under ACGME,” said Heather Phipps, designated institutional officer for Trios Health’s Graduate Medical Education Programs and board certified surgeon with Benton Franklin Orthopedic Associates in Kennewick. “Providing excellent, comprehensive training to the next generation of physicians is important to us at Trios Health, and we look forward to continuing to build on that commitment.”